Prone To Irritation Around Your Eyes? You May Be Overlooking The Culprit – mindbodygreen.com

If you're one to get red, inflamed, angry patches on the eyelid, you know contact dermatitis all too well. "The most common type of facial eczema is contact dermatitisthis is a form of eczema that comes from irritation from products, like perfumes or skin care topicals," says holistic dermatologist Alan Dattner, M.D. "It's most often found around the eyes and eyelids." If this is you, or you've had a brush with facial eczema before, you've probably been told to reach for sensitive-skin-safe makeup items and eye creams. (You know the buzzwords: hypoallergenic, ophthalmologist-tested, gentle, and so on.)

But can you guess the most common irritant for this hypersensitive area? When Dattner asked me, I assumed mascara (wrong). Tried again and guessed eyeliner (nope). And while these can spur contact dermatitisespecially when formulated with the preservatives methylparaben or butylparabenthe most surprising culprit is actually at your fingertips: nail polish.

"It's like poison ivy; you don't have to rub it in; you just have to touch it," says Dattner. Even if you're on your best behavior, he says, it can happen during the most innocent of circumstances, like when you're sleeping. And from the initial contact, it becomes a vicious cycle. "So you touch your eye, it becomes irritated and starts itching, and you're likely tempted to go back and scratch it again," he says.

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Prone To Irritation Around Your Eyes? You May Be Overlooking The Culprit - mindbodygreen.com